Wearing Wigs at the Airport | Wigs 101

[@wacytay]

As a recent former TSA officer that wears wigs let me tell you what I know. #1. Your wig most likely will not be detected. #2. If you have a lot of hair under your wig it may alarm the body scanner. If this happens they will need to pat down your hair (wig) while its on your head. Know that you can ask them to please change into clean gloves. If you ask they are required to do so. If they refuse ask for a supervisor. If the unlikely event they have to look under your wig you may request a private screening. Your significant other, travel partner etc may accompany you in the private screening. I hope this helps.

[@wigscom]

Hi Tracy, this was so helpful! Thank you for commenting :)

[@candicebentley6596]

If you pack clip in extensions in your carry on - do they pull them out when they check it??

[@oblongfan1]

thanks for the info. i plan to wear a short brown surfer kind of messy wig. but dont plan to use any metal bobby pins or clips so it wont be detected

[@staciheart2432]

@Laura Thomas that’s because it was a hat and the hat most likely alarmed. Wigs don’t alarm unless you have a lot of hair underneath or it’s in a ponytail.

[@KC-ed1dj]

@@staciheart2432 What's considered "a lot of hair"?

[@elvonette]

I've been wearing wigs for twenty years and flown almost every year and I've never had trouble with wigs and security. So far...

[@elvonette]

@Laura Thomas Yikes!

[@hobahoba8405]

i have a wig and it doesn’t have clips but it has metal combs, should i be worried?

[@Lauren-vd4qe]

You forgot one very important item...make sure your wig color n style matches your passport photo!!

[@julak1970]

will it cause problems if the wig is different than my natural hair on my passport photo?

[@Lauren-vd4qe]

@@julak1970 I think border agents are quite used to women looking a bit different than their passport photos...

[@TheSteffie59]

I inadvertently hit a problem last year in airport security as the scanner kept beeping. I went through 3 times and was frisked. They decided it must be the metal button on my jeans and let me through. I realised afterwards it was more likely the tabs on my wig. I'm worried now about another trip next week, I don't want to make it public! 😣

[@mgcap-p6v]

Stephanie Evans could have been a glitch in the machine too

[@laurenashleysexton]

This is why I don’t fly lol!

[@staciheart2432]

The metal detector or the body scanner? Either one lets them know the area that’s cause for concern. If they thought it was your button on your jeans then it definitely wasn’t your wig tabs. You will be ok.

[@JillRhoads]

I dont suffer from hair loss or anything but just want to do sports with super short hair. Also I dont like the daily hassle of dealing with my fine dry hair when it gets long and has a tendency to break and split...and WOW! I SOOOO want this woman's hair/wig and makeup! Super classy!

[@nyx4317]

The thing with me is that I'm worried about beeping the scanner because of bobby pins yikes 😬

[@ehm2943]

I have many pins to hold my real grey hair under my noriko. It always beeps - either the metal hair pin together with the metal stuff of my dental implants. I don’t worry about it. I just don’t want to Redo fixing my head as I easily get headaches caused by my cervical nerve injury.

[@dana8911]

I have been traveling on airplanes for years and have never ever been asked to remove my wig. No one has ever even addressed the fact I am wearing a wig. I also used to have bobby pins in my bio hair.

[@oblongfan1]

did the alarm ever go off with any metal pins?

[@dana8911]

@@oblongfan1 Never.

[@lorikleszczynski4024]

Me too! And I've never been asked about my wig! Thank god!

[@mt.shasta6097]

@@oblongfan1 I used to wear my bio hair up in a bun to keep it from frizzing on humid days. The local court house metal detectors went crazy. I now go pin-less, just to keep things rolling.

[@ChristiansPrayingTogether]

Maybe just take metal tabs off wig - use bobby pins and take those off just to walk thru scanner then put bobby pins back in . Maybe sew wig clips back in once at destination ?

[@wigscom]

These are great ideas! Thank you!

[@mgcap-p6v]

Never had a problem with the wig, I think that the metal tabs are too small to be detected

[@ginag6328]

Maria Grazia Capitani same! I was so scared it’d be an issue but I’ve never been asked about it by TSA anywhere.

[@oblongfan1]

i think its more if you have those metal bobby pins attached underneath that may cause problems. not from the actual wig

[@nejlaak2921]

I never had a problem, wearing a wig or topper, with the metal detector, nor the patdown ,

[@balwondiy9780]

😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀

[@marandamcallisterjoiner6982]

I’ve never had issue at any airport.

[@wigscom]

Me neither, Maranda! Trying to provide tips for everyone:)...

[@truthbetold4024]

they will only search your wig if you hide drugs in the net

[@KTHREE31]

🙀😿🙀😿🙀😿🙀😿🙀😿🙀😿🙀😿🙀😿🙀😿

[@truthbetold4024]

lol